All Kill Landing Edge
by Nes Mikel
Summary: AU: In which Yamanaka Ino's first meeting with Haruno Sakura goes a little differently, with unexpected consequences for all. [XI - And that was what a Hokage was supposed to do.]
1. I - Snow Crystal

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I hereby acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", crossover elements from other fictitious sources also exist, which will be named as they arise. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright __of all its associates__._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter One**__** -**_

"_**Schneekristall"**_

_German__ – __"Snow Crystal"_

* * *

"This is some excellent green tea."

The green-haired receptionist gave herself another pause as she raised the teacup over her head and examined the pottery from underneath.

"And this cup." She mumbled. "Is this an _Ogata Zanken_? Where the heck did you get this?"

"It was a gift from my husband, from my birthday two years ago." The nurse replied, calmly sipping her share of the hot liquid in the chilly break room. The coal stove in the leftmost corner did well to warm up the room in this cold, bitter January climate that encompassed the hospital, but not enough. The better stoves were reserved for the patients, so the staff had to deal with this ancient relic. Drinking something warm was the best way to pass the time during what little time they had left in their breaks in this busy building. "I didn't ask where he got it from."

"Probably just as well." The receptionist agreed with a chuckle, putting down the cup and glancing over her shoulder as she did so. "How about you pour yourself a cup too, newbie?" She called out outside the door. "Put down the pen already and take your break!"

The reply from the reception desk located directly outside came in quick, prompt matter. "If you don't mind, senpai, it's just a few more pages!"

"For the love of..." She shook her head as she turned back towards the nurse. "Was I that serious about my job when I was her age?"

"Hard to picture. But I must say," The nurse smiled. "Eagerness is always welcome in this workplace."

The receptionist sighed. "I know what you mean. Ten years in this hole and I've never really felt better about myself." She shrugged. "But hey, it pays well and I can have an okay life. But sometimes, you know, there are times when I've hit with this... what do you call it, overwhelming sympathy? Positivity is hard to maintain here, you know?"

The sun had already disappeared beyond the western horizon outside the window of the break room. The receptionist had just come off a fourteen-hour shift, and they had been atrocious ones. She was forced to concede that without her younger counterpart's energy and intensity at applying herself at the job, her day would've been much, much worse.

"All is not terrible with the world." The nurse offered, probably sensing her somber mood. "Have you heard about the patient on the fifth floor?"

"Have I heard about it?" She snorted. "It was all over the hospital yesterday. I mean, that neurosurgeon in charge of her – you know, that stoner-face? The one that never cracks jokes, with that holier-than-thou attitude?" When the reception saw the nurse nodding at her words, she continued. "Was the first time I've ever seen him like that, panicky and all."

"But she recovered. Isn't that at least some good news?"

The receptionist raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth to say something but changed her mind and instead shook her head. "That's not all to it, though. I guess you didn't know about it because you weren't in yesterday."

"Hm? What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say." She leaned forward. "Is that that's not all there is to it to the story. You know what she tried to do when she woke up from the coma? Get this – she tried to pluck her eyes out."

The nurse looked at her in surprise. "Wha... is that true?"

"They clamped that tidbit of info pretty damn fast." The receptionist said firmly. "But yeps, it's true. I heard it directly from the neurosurgeon's assistant, right from the source. Tried to claw out her sockets when she thought the doctors wasn't looking. Quite the story, wouldn't you say?"

"Wait, but she was in a coma for two years. She was bedridden the whole time. Where'd she get the strength?"

"I guess you don't know much about her, huh?" The receptionist sighed as she glanced up at the lights above the ceiling, as if she was trying to look at the room where the rumored patient still resided. "She has the backing of one of the clans, so she got special treatment. They've been giving her rehabilitation massages so her joints won't go stiff. Still, that stuff ain't perfect. Apparently her attempt at blinding herself failed because some stiffness still existed and she couldn't move herself like she wanted to."

"But still, being able to move that much is still amazing." The nurse pointed out. "Being bedridden for an extended period of time drains the strength of a person faster than you might think. Two years would be enough time to render anyone into not functioning properly."

"Probably the reason why doctors couldn't stop the attempt. It caught them totally by surprise, after all."

"How much damage did she do to herself?"

The receptionist scratched her head at the question. "...I'm no good with the technical stuff. What's the term for bleeding underneath the eyes?"

"Subconjunctival Hemorrhage?" The nurse offered.

She clasped her hands together. "Bingo. Right, that's what they called it. Ruptured some vessels, but the neuro's assistant said it'd heal naturally in due time so she'll be fine in the end. Got bandages wrapped around her eyes for now, though."

"I see." The nurse sighed and after a while, she spoke again. "Did they say what they were going to do with her?"

"They were saying that they need to make sure her mental state is stable before they try anything with her, so for now she's in the isolation ward. No contact outside till they're positive she's all right again." The receptionist said grimly, leaning back in the sofa as she stared right back up the ceiling. "The girl isn't going to be happy."

"No doubt." The nurse agreed. "Poor girl. After all she's gone through, not even being able to see her parents. After two whole years..."

"Hm? Oh." The receptionist was quick to pick up on how she might've come out wrong. "Yeah, true. But when I said the girl isn't going to be happy, I wasn't talking about her. I was referring to the girl that comes to visit her."

"Oh, you mean, the little girl that comes to visit her every Thursday?"

"Yeps. Every week, ever since she was carried in. Oh, and remember how I told you that the patient has the backing of one of the clans? It's her clan that..."

She was interrupted mid-speech when her counterpart knocked on the door of the break room and walked herself in. "Senpai. There's someone here to see you."

"At this hour?" The receptionist asked as she lifted herself off the sofa. It was nearing eleven. "Who could it possibly be-"

She stopped herself again when she took one glance at the small figure just outside the counter of the reception desk. Blonde hair, purple jacket, the figure – a little girl, just barely ten years old, she was breathing heavily, red cheeks bright from the cold, panting, dusting off the flecks of snow on the shoulder of her coat that had been piling slowly outside and in of Konoha. She was regular figure in this hospital, for two whole years. She looked as if she tried to get here as fast as she could.

Today was Tuesday, so it wasn't one of her regularly scheduled visits – but frankly it wasn't unexpected. In fact, the receptionist could say she was surprised that the girl didn't show up yesterday when the patient had woken up. There wasn't anyone else in the entire world other than the patient's parents that cared so deeply about the patient's well being – and given the frequency of the visits, perhaps even more – so the delay could have meant only one thing.

The news of the patient awakening was _deliberately delayed_.

Rubbing her forehead to ease the incoming headache she would no doubt be having upon realizing the implications, the receptionist approached the girl and gave her a friendly wave.

"Yamanaka Ino-san. Here to see Haruno Sakura-chan, perhaps?"

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter One**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

For those new to the story, welcome. For those who remember me from my previous works... five years. Been a long time.

After many ups and downs, my love-hate relationship with "Naruto" has reached a point where I finally found the motivation to write again. The problem, however, is because I like to stick to canon as much as possible, my motivation to continue the "Garden of Sanctuary" series, my previous work, has been shot to hell and will henceforth be abandoned. For anyone who has waited for its revival, I'm terribly, terribly sorry. There was of course the option to rewrite the story from scratch, but after rereading the canon Naruto storyline I've come to the realization that the plot outline I had lined up for the "Garden of Sanctuary" series was no longer going to work and would be a totally different story. My motivation to continue the piece just was no longer there.

So, after brewing a few plot bunnies here and there, I've decided to write a new story altogether. Thus I present to you "All Kill Landing Edge."

This first chapter is relatively short, and it's not much, but do expect the trend to continue. One of the my previous faults with the "Garden of Sanctuary" series was each chapter was quite long, and because of that it took a very long time for a chapter to come out, pretty much forcing the readers to reread the entire story to keep up with what was going on. So, with shorter chapters come more frequent updates. At least, that's the plan.

Hopefully you guys will stick with me to the end this time.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter One "__Schneekristall__", First Edition: February 17__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 24th, 2013  
_


	2. II - Alive

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", crossover elements from other fictitious sources also exist, which will be named as they arise. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright __of all its associates__._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Two**__** -**_

"_**Vivum**__**"**_

_Latin__ – __"Alive"_

* * *

A few hours before the young girl had gotten wind about her friend's awakening, two young boys were shivering in the cold, hidden underneath the white sheets that hid them from view.

Not surprisingly, it was cool on top of the Hokage Monument. The cloudy day that had promised its snow probably had something to do with it, not to mention the brisk and pumped up winds that swept across the village from top to bottom. Below, where villagers, crowded with ordinarily civilians and their ninja protectors alike, scuttled about as they rushed to pack themselves in for the day, as the sun was nearly settling itself in as well.

"This is the worst idea ever." The blonde boy growled to his partner-in-crime next to him as they continued to lie flat on top of the snowpack that piled on top of the monument.

"Shut up." The other boy growled right back. "This was _your_ idea, idiot."

"Hey, we both agreed to it, didn't we?"

Although he would never admit it to the other boy lying next to him, the blonde had thought the snowpack looked inviting at first. Not to the unwary eye, he now knew, as his eyes were hard and full of hate and regret behind its snow-covered goggles. Accustomed as they were to the winter weather given the frequency they found themselves outside, despite his orange jacket, his partner's fur-trimmed parka and their thick mittens, they still felt the ice settling into their bones and muscles.

Resisting the urge to chatter his teeth like woodpeckers knocking on wood, the blonde boy held the thick scarf his other friend had given to him almost a year ago. He laid the extra layer of insulation across the whisker-like scars on his cheeks, and his sharper eyes turned softer at the warmth. He recognized the irony of it all instantly, and snorted at the thought.

Given the proximity, his partner wasn't one to miss out on such noise. "What's so funny?"

Pushing up the hem of his scarf so his partner could take a better look at it, he replied. "She gave this to me, you know?"

"Really?" Inuzuka Kiba asked, not looking all-that surprised as he shifted about slightly. "Which one?"

"Ino-chan." Uzumaki Naruto's smile was invisible to the eye, hidden underneath the scarf. He motioned his chin to the dozen or so snowballs laid out in the snow in front of them, packed tightly in dense, hard spheres. They were all that remained of their 'weapons' after they'd assaulted their targets in the first wave. "So I just thought it was kinda funny that I'd be using something she gave me to keep myself warm so I can pelt her with cold."

Cautiously raising the outer hem of the white canopy, Kiba gave a quick look around the surroundings to ensure that their targets haven't found them yet. He turned back to Naruto. "Your sense of irony is weak."

"What makes you say that?" Naruto asked.

"If anything, the greater irony would be with Tenten." Kiba pointed out as he closed it back down. "She's the one that showed us the advanced throwing techniques from next year's class, and what do we repay her with? Pelt her and Ino with snowballs using those exact same techniques." He sighed. "She looked really pissed, you know?"

"We both know it was totally worth it." Naruto laughed back at Kiba when he remembered what the two girl's snow-encased faces looked like when they assaulted the pair after the Academy closed down for the day. Snow and prankster went hand-in-hand, and the two of them were natural partners-in-crime when it came to such mischievous acts. Even when it meant that in their escape, they were forced to flee all the way to their current encampment in the snow, it was worth it indeed. And as if to prove the point, Kiba smiled back at him with a sneer.

Right now, they were just as well hidden under the white canopies of the sheets they'd brought with them. Although the trek to their current positions had been exhausting, especially moreso because of the slippery rocks that came with the chilly climate, they were confident they'd evade the torrent of rage they'd stirred up as long as they were up here. At least, until the sun had finally set down and darkness came, which they'd figured would be enough time for the girls to give up their chase.

One thing they didn't bank on, though, was the cold was colder than expected up here. They'd also forgotten to bring proper rations with them – they'd already exhausted their small supply of candy bars hours ago, and the cold was stealing their heat and energy quickly and relentlessly. Both of them were starving, and home was looking to be a mighty interesting piece of real estate. A bowl of hot soup and ramen would've been perfect right now. But not yet. Until darkness set in, they couldn't risk getting exposed.

Naruto lifted the sheet again and quickly scanned the trail that crept up to the monument. The trail was the only 'legitimate' way of climbing all the way up, and as long as they've camped themselves in this relatively out-of-view position they'd be able to gain the upper hand on anyone who came across. He settled back down, and using the snow itself for insulation from the biting winds, nestled himself back in.

His thought was about to drift off into wondering exactly what the current temperature was when a flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye. Scarcely daring to breath, he slowly elbowed Kiba into awareness as the flicker repeated itself. It wasn't that far away, but it was a little hard to make out in the dimness where the rays of light were choking out its last breaths.

The movement drew closer, revealing itself to be a tall girl clad in white, floundering along the trail on oval-shaped snowshoes like the ones strapped on Naruto and Kiba's feet. Those properties alone wouldn't have been enough in identifying the girl, but the two bundles of hair wrapped in small black buns told them more than enough.

"Tenten." Kiba whispered underneath his breath. "Shit." He swore as he silently reached for the snowballs in front of them. "Why is she here?"

Naruto didn't reply as he gritted his teeth and stuffed the palm of his gloved hands with two balls of snow. They weren't discovered, not quite yet anyway, but with Tenten's appearance it told them that the girls had suspicions that the boys were up here somewhere. It was only going to be a matter of time before they were found, so the best way to avoid their terrible fate was to attack now lest they-

The sheets above them were suddenly pulled away, revealing two standing girls, smiling brightly down on the two boys who still lay flat on the snow-covered ground. Not so far away, the 'Tenten' they had spotted earlier vanished in a cloud of smoke. The remains of a cloning technique.

They were fooled, totally fooled.

"I hope you two are ready to pay for what you've done." Ino said, her smile unwavering.

For a brief, still moment, Naruto stared at the two girls in total silence, aghast as he knew what was about to happen here on top of this high, icy monument. He looked at Tenten first, and then Ino, and he noticed that their smiles were the snarls of hungry predators. He waited a single heartbeat longer, and although he knew it'd be futile he tried to throw his tiny ball of snow at Ino from his compromised position.

Instead, Uzumaki Naruto's face met headfirst with the fist of his first and best friend, Yamanaka Ino.

* * *

The quartet of Academy classmates and friends continued to walk down the streets of snow-covered Konoha village, the overcast now dark, the candle-lit lanterns and the fireplace-lit houses their only sources of illumination as they treaded home.

"I never expected to do some rock climbing in January." Ino said, rubbing her hands together, not sounding happy in the slightest. "Normally those exercises are reserved for the summer classes, not to mention they're _optional_. If it weren't for the fact that it's good practice and training, I would've strangled you two to death!"

"So is that how you two climbed the monument without using the trail?" Kiba asked as he rubbed the sour parts of his cheek. Unlike Naruto, his extended punishment was only a slap, albeit it was hard to enough to leave a red palm-imprint on his white cheeks. "All the way from the base?"

"If you climb from the western end, where the walls are, it's actually not that hard." Tenten said, swinging her backpack from shoulder to shoulder. "We got permission from Inoichi-san to use the watch towers to get easy access, and used these-" She shifted the pack again. In it contained the equipment she and Ino used to climb the face of the monument. "To get us on top of the walls. That alone had cut the workload in half, so the rest was pretty easy."

"That's cheating!" Naruto complained, not caring that his nose was still bleeding slightly.

"Cheating?" Ino growled. "Who do you think is the one at fault here, Naruto?" She pinched both corners of Naruto's cheeks and pulled in opposite directions. "You're in no position to be complaining!"

"_Ow, ow, ow_! It hurts, Ino-chan! Leggo of me!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "The guy never learns. But you know, I never thought of it that way, starting the climb from the walls." He turned to the girl who was walking shoulder to shoulder with him. "Was it your idea, Tenten?"

"It was Inoichi-san's idea, actually." Tenten admitted.

"Inoichi-ojisan's?" Naruto asked, now released from the torture.

Ino shrugged. "When we still had no idea where you two took off, Daddy came to me, asking us to go fetch you from the top of the Hokage monument." She explained. "But knowing you, I knew you were probably watching the trail, so I asked Daddy for any ideas on scaling the walls so we can do an ambush. Said it'd be good training too." She sighed. "Rock climbing in January..." She trailed off, sliding into silence.

Tenten chuckled at the way Ino was handling herself with the unexpected exercise. "Come on Ino, it was fun!"

"It would've been more fun it we didn't have to deal with these two morons here, Tenten-san." She pointed at the accused, but allowed herself an outer smile. "But yeah, I guess it was. Especially when I got to punch the idiot in the face after all the hard work. A well deserved reward!" She laughed heartily.

"Ino-chan, you're so mean!" Naruto lodged the complaint almost instantly, although the ensuing complaint only served to fuel the boiling laughter from the remaining two in the quartet. His mood turned sour, and as Naruto huffed in protest he turned away.

* * *

After parting ways and waving their goodbyes to Kiba first, and then Tenten, the remaining duo continued to walk towards the compounds of the Yamanaka clan households.

"So what did Inoichi-ojisan want from me?" Naruto asked after Tenten turned a corner and faded from view, his tone serious. It was a sharp contrast from the goofy attitude just previously.

Lowering her hand and looking a little worried, Ino shook her head sideways. "I don't know. All he told me was that there was something important he wanted to discuss with me... discuss with both of us."

"He didn't say what he wanted to talk to about?"

"No." Ino confirmed, fondling her fingers in a little fit of nervousness. "Just told me to invite you over to our house for dinner and a night over."

"Well," Naruto shrugged. "At least I get to enjoy your mom's cooking!"

"Naruto..."

He pretended he didn't hear his friend's concerned voice. "I mean, did I ever I tell you that I adore what your mother does with the food she prepares?" He smacked his lips loudly. "Mm, mm. Oh man, can't wait! I never would've known anything other than ramen if it wasn't for your mother! I gotta say, the stuff she puts in the _nabe_ is so delicious it's like-"

"Naruto. Please."

His attempt at reassuring her evaporated with those words. He couldn't ignore her a second time, he just couldn't. He stopped.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, trying to act cheerful and all for me." Ino continued. "But this could be about you, about your-"

Both Naruto's and Ino's eyes unconsciously drifted towards Nartuo's stomach, towards where the seal was located, the seal of which both of them knew perfectly well for what it did and what it was.

The _shiki fuujin_ seal.

The mark of a _jinchuuriki_.

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Two**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter two.

The goal here is that in exchange for each chapter being short, the updates in exchange will be frequent to a point where I'll try to publish one almost daily. Of course, this all depends on my motivation and real-life schedules, but after reading _"The Eyes Have It"_, a relatively recent completed fanfic by Shana the Short, it was a source of inspiration. The author of that fanfic had published daily chapters constantly for a month, and as a result created a fantastic story. It is my sincere hope and dream to replicate such success with this one.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Two "__Vivum__", First Edition: February 17__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 24th, 2013  
_


	3. III - Code of Law

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", crossover elements from other fictitious sources also exist, which will be named as they arise. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright __of all its associates__._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Three**__** -**_

"_**Cod de Legi**__**"**_

_Romanian __– __"Code of Law"_

* * *

To make a long story short, in the end it had turned out that Ino and Naruto had been worried about the wrong thing.

The nervousness that clamped down the not-yet-teenage boy and girl as they spent the remaining evening in the Yamanaka clan's semi-large complex had been nerve racking as its clan head, Yamanaka Inoichi, purposely avoided their questioning gaze throughout dinner, dessert and the tea after. It was only when the shorter end of the grandfather clock's needle pointed at eleven, after the Yamanakas and Naruto had finished their customary game of cards, when Inoichi rounded both of them up and invited them into his office when they knew the 'talk' finally came.

But instead of being told of news about Naruto's 'condition', Inoichi's next words were very different from the ones they were expecting.

"Ino." The clan head began carefully when he sat down on his office chair. "Sakura is awake."

Her mouth hung open, speechless.

"I understand this is sudden, but it's true. Now look, I'm sure you're overjoyed by the news, but there's a few things that-"

Before Inoichi or Naruto could stop her, she bolted straight for the door, grabbed her jacket hanging off the coat-hanger and took off into the snowy night.

* * *

"...Inoichi-ojisan, that was probably not the best way to break the news to her, you know?" Naruto told Inoichi as he scratched the back of his head, to the man he considered to be the closest thing to a father figure in his ten-year-old life. "Ino-chan and I thought you were going to talk to us about the seal, about the _Kyuubi_. We were worried some trouble popped up."

Inoichi hung his head low, looking a little sheepish. "...If that's how it looked like, then I apologize." As he leaned back in his chair, he looked exhausted. "But in all honesty, I couldn't think of any other way."

"Ino-chan's been waiting for this for two whole years. Surely you could've at least guessed how she'd react."

The Yamanaka man's mouth twitched in a brief smile, but it never touched his eyes and drew a deep breath instead. "I thought I did, somewhat. I was hoping your presence would calm her down."

"So is that why you invited me over for dinner?" He asked Inoichi.

"Yes."

"But why break the news this way?" Naruto questioned. It was strange to see Inoichi like this, Naruto thought as he observed him.

"There are a few... problems." Inoichi said quietly, his emerald eyes soft. "I didn't want disappoint Ino in letting her know that even though Sakura had woken, she's not in a condition to see anyone right now."

Naruto's eyes widened momentarily at the news, but after a while he nodded back at himself. He never knew Sakura, not directly anyway, but he had seen the bedridden pink-haired girl several times when he'd accompanied Ino to her weekly hospital visits to change the flowers in her flower vase, on top of the counter next to her bed. He was no expert in comatose patients, but even he could guess that comatose people waking up won't exactly be up and up-to-speed when they did.

But at the same time, Naruto knew it was going to take Ino more than that to change her mind. He turned around, staring briefly at the door to which Ino disappeared into and out. "What's the problem?" He asked again, turning back towards Inoichi.

"A shallow case of memory loss, for one."

Naruto flinched. "Does this mean that she doesn't remember who she is?"

"Oh no, it's not like that." Inoichi said, quickly reassuring Naruto. "It's probably a mild case of confusion after waking up from a coma after two years. The memory loss would only be temporarily, but until she's recovered, it would do Ino no good to see her in that state."

Naruto nodded. The worst thing that could've happened to Ino was Sakura not remembering who she was or anyone else. It would've been a terrible conclusion to a story already tragic. At the same time, Naruto knew with sinking feeling that if that was all there was to the story, Inoichi wouldn't have worded his words so carefully.

Noticing Naruto's silent nod urging him to continue, Inoichi smiled. "How much do you know about Sakura, Naruto?"

"A lot." He confirmed, remembering the times when Ino went on a blabbering spree about all the things she would do with her friend when everything was all right again. "I mean, I never really got to meet her before her accident, but Ino-chan's told me all about her. She really is Ino-chan's precious person, isn't she?"

"Their first meeting didn't go exactly that well, and that was mostly my fault." Inoichi laughed weakly at the memory. "But yes, Ino cares a lot about Sakura. What I wanted to ask you about, though," Inoichi's expression dissolved into one of intense seriousness. "Is if you know about Sakura's special condition."

Naruto's lips tightened as he tried to remember, eyes darkening with concern as he absorbed Inoichi's expression and tone of voice. "Are you talking about Ouka-chan?"

"Yes." Ouka was what the Yamanakas decided to call Sakura's fiery inner personality when they first stumbled upon the presence inside the girl, almost by accident. "This is why I wanted you to be by Ino's side when she hears of the news." He said. "I was called into the hospital yesterday to give her a quick look over her mental state when she woke up, but-"

"You mean she actually woke up yesterday?" Now Naruto was starting to get really worried. "What happened?"

Inoichi's mind flinched away from the last word, yet it was one had had to face. Even if he couldn't tell Ino and Naruto everything, this was one thing he had to let both of them know.

"Trust me. I don't like this as much as you do." Inoichi muttered. "But after giving her a careful checkup with my mind jutsus once the doctors had calmed her down after she tried to harm herself, the conclusion was final."

His fists clenched at his side. Then he drew a deep, drawn breath. "She is gone, Naruto. Sakura's inner personality is dead."

* * *

The lamps continued to burn late inside the small room as Shimura Danzou walked through the door, followed by two of his bodyguards. As usual, Danzou was dressed in his proper robes, but a keen observer would've suggested he got dressed more rapidly than normal. Indeed, he was about to retreat into his bedchambers for some sleep when he was roused by one of the bodyguards following him, claiming he had important information to share.

He walked across the room in quick strides before sitting himself down in his chair, looking at the bodyguard that brought him information with a hard stare.

"And?" He barked the question out. "What was so important that you wanted to talk to me about, Fu?"

"I'm sorry to have summoned you on such short notice, Danzou-sama." His Root ANBU subordinate said quietly from behind him where he stood in perfect attention. "But there has been some progress reported on a priority-one subject. I have been instructed to report any activity and provide you assistance wherever possible."

Understanding instantly dawned on him as he figured out who Fu was referring to. "Progress?"

"She has awoken, Danzou-sama. As of yesterday."

Danzou narrowed his single eye. "Yesterday?"

"There was a brief information lockdown conducted over the matter, ordered by Yamanaka Inoichi." Fu answered as he pulled several sheets of paper from the pouch sown on his jacket and pushed it forward on his superior's desk. Picking up a page, Danzou quickly poured over its contents in order to read the information contained within, a summarized report collected from their years of study on the subject matter. "I was only able to find out through my contacts inside the clan."

"So he wanted to get to her first." Danzou growled when the name of the cursed head of the Information and Espionage division was mentioned. For a few brief moments, silence settled back in the dark chamber as he continued to read through the pages, and when he was finished he rounded up the papers together and sat it back down on the smooth surface of the polished desk. "What more can you tell me?" He demanded.

"The subject had awoken from her slumber by zero-seven hundred hours, when she was found awake in an upright position by one of the nurses on routine patrol." Fu continued his report impassively. "The neurosurgeon on duty was recalled, and from there Yamanaka Inoichi was instantly informed of her arousal. He was able to reach the hospital by zero-eight hundred hours and had guards from his division posted outside the hospital room so he wouldn't be interrupted while he conducted his study."

"And the girl?" He asked. This was the most important part. "Was there any sort of indications that she has changed?"

In his reply, Fu only had to nod silently as he took a cylindrical object from his pouch and sat it on the desk. "Our contact inside the hospital managed to sneak this one out. The subject managed to do this before she turned her hands on herself in an attempt to crush her eyes. She nearly succeeded, but her attempt has failed. The doctors have since then given her sedatives and have bandaged her eyes to prevent any further damage."

Danzou felt a mingle of satisfaction as he took the object into his hand and stared at the lower end what of used to be the upper portion of a typical bedpost.

"Good. So this confirms it, then."

He bushed his fingers at the edge of the bedpost, where the metal alloy was sliced off so cleanly from the base, the surface of the cut smoother than his polished desktop. Twirling the metal around and smiling as he did so, Danzou lightly tapped the top of his desk with the bedpost he still held in his hand.

"She is connected with the root now." His malevolent smile grew just that much larger. "The perfect weapon."

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Three**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter three.

Just so we're clear on the subject, no Naruto characters will undergo super powerups and suddenly become badass and all that. That's not to say that our favorite characters won't be receiving any powerups in the future, though. All of them will be relatively realistic and backgrounds will be provided when we get to it. But then again, trying to be realistic in a fictitious story where ordinary-looking kids can spit giant fireballs out of their mouths?

Oh, the irony.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Three "__Cod de Legi__", First Edition: February 18__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 24th, 2013  
_


	4. IV - Remembrance

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", crossover elements from other fictitious sources also exist, which will be named as they arise. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright __of all its associates__._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Four**__** -**_

"_**Mokutou**__**"**_

_Japanese __– __"Remembrance"_

* * *

She was floating in a sea of empty space where neither light nor sound existed, naked and exposed, slowly falling, sinking into the bottomless pit of black. It was dark, and when she looked down the territory that existed beneath her soul, all was darker still.

It was all that remained, of 'her'.

The space stretched out and beyond, the expanse so large she didn't know if the distance was expanding or constricting. She wasn't even sure she was falling to begin with, for there was nothing. Absolutely nothing had existed there. She realized that the darkness wasn't darkness itself. It just… didn't exist. Light did not exist. Darkness did not exist. Nothing existed. And because nothing existed, she could see nothing. There was even no meaning to the question of if she was falling or not.

But somewhere, somehow, she knew she was falling, sinking deeper as time passed in silence all around. Here, in this empty space where form did not matter, she knew her presence was offensive, an unwelcome, foreign object. She wanted to shut her eyes away from the reality that encompassed her, for she looked so terrible, so weak. What 'existed' here was poison to the emptiness all around her.

"So this is… this is death?"

Sakura wasn't even sure if her frail voice was real, but just a speck of her imagination.

* * *

Time passed longer in silent symphony. In this empty world, time was supposed to not exist. But because she existed, she could observe.

It was all she could do, really. Observe. It was pretty much the only thing she could do in this macrocosm of nothing, and as she continued time continued to decay along with it. She once tried to look far and beyond. Nothing. She once tried to lie still and wait. Nothing. And even then, she felt an impeccable sense of accomplishment for her actions, a warm, woolly feeling enveloping her exposed soul. But that was only because she was perfect here, she knew, in this emptiness. Nothing else existed, so by simply existing she had become the definition of perfection.

But this was death, a world where it was normally impossible to observe. It was a world only the dead were supposed to access, not someone like her, someone still alive…!

Sometimes she had felt she'd gone insane.

For two years, Sakura had been in constant 'contact' with death. And when it was all over, no sense of accomplishment existed within. Just an overwhelming tiredness, as if she'd just come out of the grandest of battles.

A battle, fought between life and death.

And even now, she wasn't sure which side had won.

* * *

Morning arrived for the second time since her awakening, and along with it came the increase in volume. As the early-shift hospital nurses scrambled to reach their destinations, they brushed with some early-bird patients taking a walk in this first light of the day, and as they passed each other, footsteps echoed loudly through the long, hollow hospital corridor. For Sakura the noise was deafening, compared to the quiet silence that marked the night before.

She supposed she was thankful her room was a private one. While it was noisy outside, in here she was able to relax away in privacy, allowing herself some time for pause before the inevitable came.

And just like that, it arrived.

"How are you feeling, Haruno-san?" The doctor asked as Sakura heard him scuffling for the stool nearby before he sat himself besides her bed.

"…I don't know."

"I see." The doctor sounded unsure of how to respond at her toneless reply. He muffled a cough, but after a while he resumed his talk. "Well, at least you seem calmer than two days ago. Now, while I understand it might not be the best of times to be doing this, I want to talk to you about your condition. If you feel nauseated-" He suddenly seemed to remember that he was talking to a mere child, and corrected his vocabulary accordingly. "If you feel sick in any way, let me know immediately. Okay?"

Sakura replied with silence. It didn't really matter, for she held no interest in knowing what had happened to her. She already knew.

The doctor, however, took her silence as sign to continue and continued to speak. "I'll try to explain this as simple as I can. Today is January the 16th, Tenth year in the Second Region of the Third Hokage. You were carried into our hospital two years ago in the early mornings of January the 2nd after the results of an unfortunate accident. You fell down from the stone steps of a local shrine. Do you remember any of it?"

"…"

She doesn't reply, but this time she didn't because she couldn't remember what the doctor was referring to. The last thing Sakura could extract from her memory was seeing her friend, her only friend, standing in the middle of an empty courtyard that was covered in snow, spinning around in happiness, dressed in the traditional kimono dress she had handpicked for herself for the New Year's festival that year. She had no recollection over how she got to involve herself in her supposed 'accident'.

"Oh, you don't have to be so worried about it if you don't remember. The accident itself actually wasn't that serious." The doctor quickly reassured her as she heard the flips of paper from the few pages attached to the clipboard he carried. "You were pretty lucky. You were wearing a thick, padded jacket stuffed with fur over the kimono you were wearing at the time, so the damage to your body was minimal… I mean, not much." He corrected himself again. "But on the other hand, you hit your head pretty hard when you fell. You were already unconscious… erm, knocked out pretty badly when you were carried in I should say. Thankfully tests have revealed that there wasn't any serious damage done to the brain, but nevertheless you've been sleeping for two whole years. Can't really be helped if don't remember a few things. Inoichi-san… you remember him, don't you? He reported there was no serious damage done during your coma, so we figure we just need to give it some time before your memory returns." She heard him sigh. "I'd like to guarantee it, but unfortunately it's not every day we see comatose patients waking up after two years. We haven't had that many example cases to go off of."

Sakura heard the doctor constantly referring to the events from two years ago, but she still couldn't grasp the concept quite so accurately. For 'Haruno Sakura', two years was merely three days ago, and as for 'Sakura' herself, two years was time spent in that empty void.

"Your wounds are also not that serious." She heard the doctor say, knowing he was referring to her bandaged eyes. "I suppose we should be glad you didn't have access to anything sharp. Your bandages will be coming off very soon. You can expect to see out of them again after a week or so, so just try not to irritate your eyes further until then."

Sakura caught the doctor's hint. It was way of showing his disapproval when she tried to gorge her eyes out when she first woke up and saw the changed world around her. After they'd put her on sedatives yesterday they had questioned her on why she'd done it, but she didn't grace them with an answer. They had only let her go when she assured them she would no longer be repeating her attempt.

"Starting from tomorrow, you'd be doing rehabilitation exercises twice a day, once before noon and once during the evening – exercises so we can get your body back into shape." He announced, almost suddenly, his tone carefully neutral. "And we're thinking of allowing visitors to see you, but because we want to be careful we're thinking an hour daily would be best for both you and your family. You'll be out of the hospital in no time if you keep it up, Haruno-san. Everything will be back to normal. Just stay positive."

She thought she couldn't really fault the doctor for repeating the line he undoubtedly gave to countless other patients, but she still felt a little cynical over it. Sighing to ease out that tiny bit of disappointment, Sakura turned the palm of her right hand and tried to move her arm along with it in an effort to distract herself. Her attempt was thwarted almost instantly when her joints and muscles flowed with pain, and she discovered that even moving a single finger took a considerable amount of time. She didn't get to use any of it for two years, after all. Sakura figured it was only natural.

"I'd best be going by now." The doctor said as she heard him rise from the bedside stool. "Inoichi-san had insisted he'd keep guards posted outside for your convenience, so if you need anything just press the button near your pillow. The guards will fetch the nurses from a nearby room for you then. Don't hesitate to use them for anything you deem necessary."

She could almost imagine the cookie-cutter smile the doctor was showing her as she felt his large hand pat gently on her head in departing gesture.

* * *

And just like that, she was alone again.

Lying flat on her bed that had been her home of two years, she tried to stir herself into sleep as she closed her eyes and mumbled out her proper name.

"I'm… Haruno Sakura, right…?"

Even though the words had come out from her mouth, it didn't sound convincing. It _wasn't_ convincing, for she knew deep down that the person previously known as 'Haruno Sakura' no longer existed. She could, of course, remember everything she could remember during her eight years of life when she was 'Haruno Sakura', but it no longer mattered. The two year separation between the 'Haruno Sakura' from the past and present was more than enough to differentiate themselves as separate entities.

It was only with 'Sakura' and the other 'her' that made her feel complete. It was the two conflicting but comforting personalities inside her that made Sakura into the 'Haruno Sakura' she always knew. And with the other 'her' dead, killed from the two years she spent in the void where only 'Sakura' had been present, she knew she was no longer the same person.

"Please… help me, Ouka… please…"

Once, there was a time when another presence inside her mind would've torn her a new one for sounding so weak. But now, there was no mental reply to her tearful plea of help. A never ending moment of silence was the only thing that replaced it.

'Haruno Sakura' was here, but only 'Sakura' remained.

And it didn't make her feel any more alive.

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Four**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter four.

If people are sharp, by now I think several people could fathom a guess as to where the crossover elements of this story lie.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Four "Mokutou", First Edition: February 19__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 24th, 2013  
_


	5. V - Indignation

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", crossover elements from other fictitious sources also exist, which will be named as they arise. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright__ of all its associates__._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Five**__** -**_

"_**Indigno**__**"**_

_Esperanto __– __"Indignation"_

* * *

There were mainly two things Ino wanted to do if she ever had the opportunity to go back in time.

The first one was obvious. She would go back to that snowy night of two years ago in Nakano Shrine to undo her mistake of ever leaving Sakura's side. The other thing she wanted to do, however, was also equally important. She wanted to redo their first meeting all over again, for it had been terribly embarrassing.

Ino had often fantasized about how their meeting would've gone differently had she ever had the chance. Back then, Sakura had been frequent targets of bullies like Ami in the Academy, so Ino sometimes pictured herself as the hero that came to her rescue by chasing the bullies off for her, and from there they could've become friends. Perhaps she would even give Sakura a ribbon as a present, a red one maybe, to draw attention to the cuter features of her forehead as Sakura's wide forehead was primarily the reason why she was bullied to begin with. Ino could see herself doing just that, for in her imagination she was the embodiment of kindness and caring. Not to mention kickass.

What happened in actuality was pretty much the opposite. Although Ino had seen Sakura during classes in the Academy, until they were properly introduced she never really knew her. Ino knew Sakura was being bullied by Ami and her followers, but she never lifted even a finger to help Sakura and had turned a blind eye to it all. Although Ino never directly contributed to the bullying herself, Ino's opinion of Sakura back then was not much different from that of Sakura's antagonizers. Ino thought of Sakura as someone dark and anti-social, for she was always alone, sitting far away in the corner of the room, never really talking to anybody. Ino even went as far to think that Sakura had brought the bullies on herself with her attitude.

So it had come to her as a surprise when it was her dearest father, of all people, that introduced her to Sakura first.

It was Ino's birthday back then, and in her excitement she had forgotten all about her Daddy's promise of picking her up after class and headed straight for home when her Academy classes came to an end that day. Realizing her mistake when her mother reminded her about it, Ino then decides to hide herself in the large shoe closet right next to the house's entrance so she could get the jump on him when he came home. So when she heard the crack of the door opening she gleefully jumped out from her hiding spot in an effort to perhaps surprise her dad for once, but rather than surprising him she only ended up scaring the little pink-haired girl that was standing next to him instead.

After the ensuing chaos died down, Ino is told by her father that he had found Sakura drenched in dirt and tears in the back bushes of the Academy playground, victim in the latest strings of Ami's bullying. In his kindness, he had invited Sakura to their home in the spirit of their clan's tradition of the violet flower so she could join him on celebrating Ino's birthday.

In essence, what her father was saying was that his birthday present for Ino was, in fact, this Sakura. He had hoped Ino would accept their clan's ethics and welcome Sakura as her newest friend, in her first step in continuing the Yamanaka's tradition of candid love and comradeship.

The discovery did not make Ino happy in the slightest. Outwardly she thanked her father for it, but jealous rage boiled inside. In her childish fit of fury, Ino was angry, if not downright mad. Today was supposed to be _her_ day, and Ino felt as if Sakura had stolen the red carpet right underneath her. She even went as far to mentally accuse Sakura of daring to steal her Daddy away from her, and it was at that moment Ino decided she was going to have some revenge. She was going to make Sakura pay.

The opportunity for it came pretty quickly. Putting on an act as the perfect daughter in front of her father, Sakura, and the rest of her family, the party continued without incident, and when Sakura excused herself to go to the bathroom Ino decided to pounce on the chance. Quickly excusing herself from the room on the pretext that she too had to go to the bathroom, she dashed across the hallway just in time to see Sakura turn a corner in front of her. Doing her best to quietly sneak up behind Sakura, Ino she readied her _shintenshin no jutsu_, the Yamanaka clan's Mind-Body switch technique she learned from her father just a fortnight ago. The plan was to take Sakura's body, and while she was in control she was going to make Sakura wet herself in the middle of the hallway. Ino hadn't really gone through with her plan all that much, obviously, as her Mind-Body switch technique was still imperfect and even if she did succeed in taking over Sakura's body,_ she_ was the one that actually needed to do the necessary deeds. But her newly turned seven-year-old mind back then was clouded with immaturity and rage. It had never occurred to her that the plan was doomed for failure.

The plan had ended up failing in the most unexpected of ways, though. Immature as it was, her _shintenshin_ actually succeeded in briefly taking over Sakura's body. But because her jutsu was still unrefined, when she invaded Sakura's mind her technique had somehow jolted the totally unanticipated inner personality of Sakura wide awake, and in the hijinks it left behind a completely traumatized Ino and Sakura, both of them crying loudly as they both had ended up wetting themselves in the end.

Although they had since then made up and became friends for real afterwards, it was a memory Ino could certainly do without.

* * *

"Ino-chan… hey Ino-chan, wake up."

She was roused from her slumber in her sofa when she noticed her other friend shaking her shoulders. She opened one eye, and then another, and then pushed away her friend's hand away and stifled a yawn.

"Mornin' Naruto… what time is it?"

"It's almost ten, I think. They arrived." He answered her as he pushed a small bun into her hand after removing the orange jacket that was draped over her shoulders. "Here. Something to eat before you go see her."

"Mm." She said as she took a quick bite out of the pastry, quietly thanking Naruto for bringing her breakfast.

The two of them had spent the entire night at the hospital reception room. It wasn't the first time Ino had spent the night here, twice previously in fact; once, when her friend was carried in for the first time, and the second, just a week ago when her father had broken the news to her that Sakura had finally woken from her coma. In the latter's case, she chose to spend the night at the hospital after the hospital staff denied her access to her friend's hospital room on the grounds that visitor access was prohibited. She was told that the only ones who were allowed visitor's access to Sakura was her immediate family. As Sakura had no 'real' siblings, her parents Haruno Mebuki and Haruno Kizashi were the only ones that had fit that category.

A week had given Ino some time to accept the fact that Ouka, Sakura's inner personality and mental sibling, was no longer within Sakura. When Naruto, who had in turn received the news from her father Inoichi, first broke the news to her, it was a difficult pill for her to swallow. But as the famous saying went, although time did not mend wounds, it did to a degree heal them. Telling herself that it was Sakura who was in the hardest position of them all made her feel a bit easier.

"Sakura-chan's parents are at the reception desk. I'll be going now, Ino-chan. Give Sakura-chan my best regards, okay?"

She nodded back at him. They had spent the night in the hospital in anticipation last night as Ino was finally given permission to see Sakura along with Sakura's parents today. Although Ino had insisted for Naruto to come with her, Naruto had politely refused her offer on the grounds that he knew perfectly well that his presence wasn't altogether welcome in the hospital. They both knew the reason why.

Ino quickly slapped both of her cheeks together as she rose from the reception room's comfortable sofa to ease out the sluggishness from sleep. She was finally going to get to see Sakura awake for the first time in two years. The fact alone was enough to completely banish the slowness out of her body.

She had a feeling that today was going to be a great day.

* * *

They walked into Sakura's room just as the doctors removed the bandages around her eyes and had her vision returned to her.

It was, without doubt, the absolute worst timing.

Her mother. Haruno Mebuki. Her father. Haruno Kizashi. Those two she could understand. She mentally prepared herself for the encounter after all. But her, the blonde-haired girl that followed in her parent's footsteps. She looked slightly different than the boyish girl in her memories, slightly taller, more mature. But there was no mistaking it. It was Ino. Her best friend.

_Why?_ She wanted to scream. Why did she have to be here, of all times?

"Sakura," Her mother began. "Your friend Ino is here to see yo-"

"Get out." She spoke suddenly.

"…Sakura?" Ino stepped forward. "It's me, Ino. Sakura, I wanted to see you for so long…"

"Please, get out." She repeated her demand, stronger this time. "All of you."

"Sakura, what's wrong?" This time it was her father.

"Sakura?" Her mother.

"Sakura…" Her best friend.

It was torture. Just torture.

"_GET OUT!_" In desperation, Sakura screamed. She clamped her eyes shut and hastily cradled her head in her arms, as if trying to run away from the reality of it all. She never wanted to see them like this. Not like this. Never like this.

Not with the black lines of complete death scattered all over them.

* * *

"…Are you certain about this?" The Third Hokage asks from behind his desk. His normally soft eyes sharp, they were no longer the caring eyes of an gentle old man, but that of a leader of a village full of ninja. The report he was receiving from the head of Information and Espionage was something that was not to be taken lightly.

"Unfortunately, Hokage-sama. I am certain of it."

Yamanaka Inoichi cleared his throat before he gave his final answer.

"Haruno Sakura has come in possession of the _chokushi no magan_." He concluded. "The 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'."

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Five**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter five.

Barely made the deadline. Daily updates are harder than I thought. You can probably tell I rushed it as I'm sure it's full of errors. Will edit later.

And alas, the crossover element finally revealed. Unsure of how readers will react to this, but we shall we.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Five "Indigno", First Edition: February 20__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 24th, 2013  
_


	6. VI - Firm Foundations

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concept and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are __copyright__ of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Six**__** -**_

"_**Des Beses Solides**__**"**_

_French __– __"Firm Foundations"_

* * *

Nanaya.

Fujou.

Asakami and Asagami.

Ryougi.

They were names of great legend in the long forgotten eras when the Sage of Six Paths was still present among the living in the world. Four clans, four families; they were the four that composed of the greatly infamous 'Demon Hunter Organization' in ancient ages of past.

Centuries ago, when the great Sage defeated the most powerful ten-tailed demon in the entire world and sealed the beast within him, not everyone had praised him for the great accomplishment. Instead, it was these four clans, who once held great influence over the land during that era, which raised the concern over the fact that the Sage of Six Paths was now a _jinchuuriki_ and possessed the ability to harness and control the overwhelming power of the _Juubi_ demon. They were wary of the fact that a mere individual had come into possession of such unimaginable power and feared the balance the world would be thrown in to chaos again, just by his mere presence. After all his efforts in trying to lead the world into an era of peace instead of conflict, such was the fate of the savior of the world.

The Sage of Six Paths himself knew that his solution of sealing the demon within him was only a temporary one. He was well aware that if he were to die the seal he placed on himself would shatter and the demon would break free, rendering all his efforts for naught. To remedy his problem, and quickly – for his time remaining was short – he utilized his _banbutsu souzou,_ his Creation of All Things technique to divide the ten-tailed demon's charka into nine separate entities, creating the nine demons in what the later world will come to know as the tailed beasts. After making sure the physical remains of the _Juubi_ were safely entombed within his _chibaku tensei_ stone prison which would eventually become the moon, he hurled the heavy construct into the sky and passed away soon thereafter, entrusting his strength, dream and legacy down to his two sons.

His efforts, however, did not satisfy the four great families. As the Sage's dream for peace and prosperity went down in flames as his two sons descended into a long bitter feud ignited from the war of succession that would be carried over into their Senju and Uchiha decedents, the four families banded together as one to form the Demon Hunter Organization.

Created as their own way of responding to the 'solution' to the _Juubi_ problem, the organization's main purpose had been simple. The families did not see the Sage in the same light when he split the ten-tailed demon into the nine tailed beasts and called the problem solved. Rather, by splitting the immensely powerful chakra of the ten-tails into the bit-more-manageable nine other entities, it had in fact extended the problem when new conflicts arose and entire wars were beginning to be fought for their possession. Alarmed by these new emerging conflicts, the four clans created the organization with the goal of exterminating the problem directly from the source. Thus, their purpose: to wipe all demons and their _jinchuuriki_ hybrids off the face of the earth. They saw the demons as an evil that needed to be cleansed, an abnormality in the world that needed to be corrected.

During their prime, the Demon Hunter Organization was greatly feared throughout the land, led primarily by the Nanaya, the considered-to-be most powerful clan of the four. The Nanaya possessed a form of psychic ability reflected upon their eyes called the _jougan_, also known as 'Pure Eyes', that allowed them to see things like Chakra that could otherwise not been seen by the ordinary man. But what made them truly feared were not their eyes, but their super-refined assassination skills and the extent to which they pushed their physical bodies to the limit that allowed them to pull incredible feats of athletics which put people under the illusion that the Nanaya were able to defy the very laws of gravity.

The Nanaya's abilities were then further enhanced by the Fujou, who had descended from a long line of _miko_ shrine priestesses. An ancient lineage full of expert healers, they were also incredibly skilled mediums who held extensive knowledge over seals and curses. Although the Fujous were capable of holding their ground against average assailants on their own, they mostly hid in the backgrounds of the other three families and provided them with support as their skill branches mostly fell under those departments. By focusing on the areas of support instead of direct fighting, they thrived under the protection of the Organization.

The Demon Hunter Organization's heavy hitters were the Asakami and the Asagami, a clan that was, while technically the same, were actually two separate houses of the same family, the main house Asakami and its branch the Asagami. Of the four great families, they possessed the strongest _doujutsu_ of them all, granting them powerful telekinetic techniques that allowed their eyes to bend space around them. A surprisingly mercantile clan, when the time came for them to battle, devastation was all that remained in their wake.

Compared to the other three families, the Ryougi were a relatively normal bunch. They were strong, capable fighters, but compared to the Nanaya and the Asakami/Asagami they lacked that definitive offensive power and held no qualities for special support like the Fujou did. What made them unique among the members of the Demon Hunter Organization, however, was that members of the Ryougi clan held 'two lives' within them, multiple personalities with actual separate lifeforces. It allowed the Ryougi to freely switch between one personality and another, thereby allowing the members of its clan to specialize in two entirely different things by assigning each personality with a different skillset. Nevertheless, their capabilities were still lackluster compared to that of the other three families and hence maintained their position within the Organization through intrigue, by being their resident spymasters.

Later in their history, the opportunity for the Ryougi to elevate their position within the Organization came when a particular heiress of theirs had awoken her 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception', an ability that, if it was harnessed correctly, could've very well tipped the balance of power within. The _chokushi no magan_ opened a circuit in the brain that allowed the user's eyes to perceive 'death', their signs visible in the form of black lines and, in its advanced form, black points as well. Invisible for all else to see, the lines and points were representation of an end, as anything with an origin was faced with a fated death eventually. By directly tracing the black lines, the user was able to erase the connection that held the targeted object together from existence and cut it apart into two no matter what. By striking the point, the mystic eyes allowed the user to ignore all causes of effect and deliver absolute death and destruction to its victim. Because striking the point of death caused the death of the existence, whatever that made a living person 'living' or whatever that made an object an 'object' was ended in the most simple way by unraveling its matter and being permanently made into no more.

But, by then it was too late. For all of them.

Although the Demon Hunter Organization had scored successes by assassinating quite a few _jinchuuriki _demon hosts captured by powerful groups of people or individuals that had attempted to harness their power for own use, it was never successful in killing any of the tailed demons during their reign. It was further complicated by the reality that after each successful _jinchuuriki_ assassination, resistance to their Organization grew stronger each time. The four clans were primarily able to achieve their dominance in their era due to the fact that they pretty much held the monopoly over utilizing chakra, and, going by today's standards, their extent of knowledge was shallow at best. When the ultimate wildcard that was the Sage of Six Paths came around and unravelled many of the mysteries around chakra, much to their chagrin he had then decided to spread his knowledge of what he called _ninjutsu_ around in the name of peace, breaking what leverage the four clans held over everyone else. When the Organization was first founded the four families still had a commanding lead over their competitors, but as time passed and generations compounded on top of another their lead was cut shorter each time, only to eventually disappear and finally fall behind.

The Demon Hunter Organization's collapse came naturally thereafter, and it was mostly self-inflicted. The demon-hunter became the hunted when the Asakami started worshipping the tailed beasts as their gods after their linage became so diluted with interbreeding hardly anyone was emerging with their _doujutsu_ ability no more. Their attempted revival of the clan by capturing a _jinchuuriki _of their own was thwarted by the betrayal of the Asagami and the subsequent conflict wiped both of them out in the process. The Fujou clan collapsed after her last pure-blooded descendent died, and was subsequently overwhelmed by those who lusted after the Fujou's cradle of great knowledge. The Nanaya, diminished in power as their _taijutsu_ techniques had been long studied and learned by their enemies – so much so that it had become the norm – finally lost their title as the clan most skilled in physical combat and was exterminated by a _jinchuuriki_ that burned their village completely to the ground.

It was during these turbulent times for the Organization when the Ryougi heiress came into possession of the ever-famed 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'. There was much faith placed in the heiress in the hopes that she would bring about the Demon Hunter Organization's grand revival, but it was soon proved that her powers alone were not enough. The ability, although powerful, was in the end only a useful anti-personnel tool at best, for while it was deadlier than the _byakugan_ – a bloodline that will emerge later which took the mystic eyes as a model – comparing the two revealed the flaw that the mystic eyes held far less utility and was highly unstable as the strain it placed on the user's mental physique was immense. The user of these eyes also needed actual physical contact with the target in order to deliver the strikes of death, and there was the crucial flaw in which that in the face of entire armies there was nothing the user could do. The Organization's enemies had no qualms of producing armies of such scale en-masse, and just like that the advantage they thought they had disappeared just as quickly as it came. The nail in the coffin came when the Ryougi heiress suddenly announced her retirement by saying she no longer held any particular interest in the conflict and just simply up and disappeared. The Ryougi clan fell into disarray soon thereafter.

Thus the Demon Hunter Organization faded away from history, but their legacy remains. The Nanaya's _taijutsu_ skills had become the standard for all ninjas to learn. Fujou's skill with curses have since revealed themselves to be an early form of _genjutsu_ and unfolded itself as a strong foundation for the particular technique group, and their healing techniques continued to save countless of other lives. The Asakami and Asagami had perhaps left behind the biggest legacy of them all, as while their abilities in the purest form no longer exists, their lineage evolved and provided the basis for countless _doujutsu_ bloodline abilities scattered throughout the land, some famous, some not so much. And the Ryougi… well, they had their last minute of fame with their 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'. It was really all they were known for now, for it was a thing of legend, and while there had been many attempts to replicate it all have failed. Their primary abilities of having multiple personalities were cast aside in favor of the spotlight and were seemingly forgotten.

Yamanaka Inoichi, though, was someone that hadn't forgotten. When his daughter first stumbles upon the inner personality of Haruno Sakura by accident and he is told of it after they calmed themselves down from Ino's terrible attempt at a prank, it catches his attention immediately. For it was this particular trait the Yamanakas have been searching for their entire lives – an ability that would allow them to ascended to a higher plane of existence.

And he felt guilty every moment for it.

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Six**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter six.

Mostly background, so for a few people it might prove boring, but strangely its stuff like these that are the most enjoyable for me to write.

A certain reviewer has mentioned that I broke my promise that I made in chapter three, thinking that the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception are overpowered. By reading the chapter above, I think you can see some of the reasons why I beg to differ. There are so many abilities/techniques/individuals that exist within the canon Naruto storyline that are so over-the-top (*cough* Sage of Six Paths *cough*), it puts the Mystic Eyes to shame really.

The crossover elements have pretty much been all revealed with this chapter. Thus, for those who are worried that happy-go-lucky vampires or heroes of ages past summoned as spirits might show up, worry not. The crossover elements in this story are mostly referenced from _"Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai_" that have been Narufo-fied for things to make better sense. I think I did a pretty good job with it to make the transition as natural as possible, as I could very well see such conflicts happening after the Sage of Six Paths pulled off what he did, but that's for the readers to decide.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Six "Des Beses Solides", First Edition: February 21__st__, 2013, Last Edit: February 22nd, 2013  
_


	7. VII - Ideal

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concep__t and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Seven**__** -**_

"_**Bora**__**"**_

_Swahili __– __"Ideal"_

* * *

"I hate this."

Haruno Kizashi sat straight-up on the end of his lawnchair of his household and took a biting glance out across the balcony of the two-storied house. Outside, the dazzling morning sun had just rose, and the village monuments sparkled back in majestic stature. His straw-woven chair rocked back and forth rapidly as he pushed his legs along to encourage it, a clear sign of agitation, while calm winds stirred the looser strands of his dull-pink hair that he styled into the shape of a cherry blossom. He breathed out a chilled breath that turned quickly white. He was less than three hundred meters away from the Hospital native to Konoha Village, of which he could reach in a moment's notice if he so choose and stared at the building from his distance.

It had much to do with the beaten, heartbroken savagery in his fierce, blue eyes.

"We both do." Haruno Mebuki stood not too far away from him as she answered her husband's words, her hands on the railings of the terrace fence painted in white, hinged over it as she too looked out across the calm and cool village quieted by the weather and towards the rectangular building that housed their daughter within. "And I think we hate it the most because we could've seen it coming for so long."

"It's worse than that." Kizashi argued back bluntly. "It's because we hold so little control over what we can do."

Although the village hadn't seen snow for the past four days, the skies were still clouded over with dark clouds, and forecasts predicted it would begin snowing again within the next day or two. And within that period he was slated to meet with the Third Hokage, directly, with his two council advisors by his side. There was very little to look forward to for Kizashi in that meeting, because he could very well expect what they were going to ask from him as clarification in the whole incident. Trying to pretend everything was business as usual was harder than what he was accustomed to despite his many years as a _jounin_ of Konoha.

"I wish I could tell you're both wrong, but I can't." His comrade replied from his seat in the room that had its windows bared wide open in order to connect the room and balcony, where the husband and wife sat and stood outside. Yamanaka Inoichi took a quick sip of _oolong_ tea they had offered him earlier when he was first invited in before setting it back down on the end table next to him.

"There has to be something we can… we could…" Mebuki started to protest, anguish tightening her voice before she trailed off and stopped. She hadn't known Inoichi for very long, but long enough to understand that he was an honest, sincere man. As much as she wanted deny it, she was smart enough to not be blind about the tone of finality laced in his voice. As Inoichi had said, there was little they could all do about it.

"…I could retire from Konoha and have us relocated somewhere." Kizashi said after a moment.

"Relocate? Relocate where, Kizashi-san?" Inoichi continued in that same voice. "Not even the First Hokage would be able to escape pursuit from a couple of hundred, no, thousands of hunter-nins summoned from all five corners of the Elemental Countries. But let's say you take the route out of the Continent, which is pretty much the only way you can shake everyone off – how are you going to get your family out of here before the hunters all catch up with you? What are you going to do, singlehandedly slaughter every single pursuer? What you're trying to purpose, Kizashi-san, is a free-for-all contest in which the prize is your daughter. What Sakura had awoken is _that_ precious, and if the other Nations ever get wind of the information that she's free game, that's what will happen."

"And what am I supposed to do then, Inoichi?" Kizashi replied. "Just sit here and be crippled with worry? She is my_ daughter!_"

"Dear, I know how badly you want to help Sakura, we both do." Mebuki said from behind him. "But Inoichi-san's right. There's just too much risk, and you know it."

"Of course I know about it!" Kizashi's accent came far too close in snapping at his wife outright. "But it is _my_ fault that Sakura's been put in a position like this. I must take responsibility somehow."

"Kizashi." Mebuki's voice was kind, and she reached out to rest both hands on his shoulders. "Don't forget. I agreed to it too. And although you know I would do anything to protect her, I don't want to see the worst possible outcome happening either. What do you think would happen to Sakura if we all deserted the village, deserted Konoha, Kizashi?"

Kizashi eyed her harshly, but did not say anything.

"Besides," Mebuki continued. "We should be thankful we're villagers of Konoha to begin with. If we were in any other Elemental village, I'd hate to think what would've happened to all of us. At least we still have a chance to give Sakura a normal life."

"A normal life. Hah." He cracked a hard laugh with no humor. "As a ninja, you mean. As one myself, I can tell you that's hardly normal."

"…She could've ended up as one to begin with." Inoichi tried to point out, as he finished draining the contents of his mug.

"That's hardly the point Inoichi." Kizashi sighed. "Sakura could've grown up to become anything she wanted to be. But because of my private, selfish desire, she doesn't have any other choice. If she wants to survive from now on, there's no choice but for her to become a ninja. I ruined her life." He spat out his last sentence in disgust.

"Do you hate me for it?" Inoichi asks.

"You?" The Haruno man cracked his head sideways before he saw his friend's way of thinking. He shakes his head. "No, I don't hate you. In fact, I was overjoyed when you first brought the news to us that Sakura had a second personality within her, just like our distant ancestors did so long ago. The ties our family shared with the main Ryougi line were weak even at best, as we descended from a branch of clansmen who never once awakened their other sibling. It was a dream come true for us, Inoichi. I doubt we would've ever found out about Ouka if you did not bring the news to us because we weren't looking for it. Our family had given up hope completely for ever reawakening our Ryougi traits a long, long time ago. I never would've imagined we'd be seeing it again, especially not in the form of our daughter."

"But I used-"

Inoichi was cut off before he could even properly begin. "I don't care if you approached us with the intention of acquiring those traits for your clan." Kizashi said. "You were very upfront with your demands from the very beginning anyway. We're very much alike, Inoichi – I understand perfectly well you, and your clan's, desire for it, and we're similar in that regard. Can't blame your ancestors of dreaming for Ryougi traits where one personality would be able to take one body while the other remained in their main one. It would eliminate your clan technique's weakness completely after all. Thus I gave you the permission to study Sakura and Ouka. It was a win-win situation for both of our families."

"But," Kizashi added. "At the same time, I wanted to respect Sakura and Ouka's decision in matter. Ultimately it was up for her to decide if she wanted to revive the Ryougi traits in our Haruno line, or maybe even marrying into the Yamanakas and revive the traits there, thus fulfilling your clan's long lusted-after goal. And like you said, she could've very well become a ninja, a kunoichi, as she did attend the Academy after all, but I didn't want to see her find herself in a situation where she had no other choice. And that," His voice dropped off into something that was almost inaudible. "Is our crime and punishment."

* * *

Deciding he was finished with his smoking pipe so he could grudgingly go back to work in his office inside the Hokage Tower, he was just about to leap off from his favorite spot on top of the water tank before an unexpected visitor found him.

"Inoichi." He raised a lazy hand in greeting. "What's up?"

"Wanted to talk to you. With Chouza too, actually." Inoichi quickly added the last part as he jumped up the tower and sat down besides his sleeping form, referring to their other friend in the trio. "Can we meet in the usual _yakiniku_ barbeque place in 10 minutes?"

He was quick to pick up on Inoichi's strung out look. There was no question to the fact that he was troubled. He was not used to seeing his friend like this. "...What's the matter?"

"I wanted to discuss the future of the Ino-Shika-Cho." Inoichi said. "About our children and their team placement."

He raised an eyebrow. While it was true that their families had traditionally been in the same team for many generations, placements which were heavily insisted upon by their fathers and grandfathers, it was only an unspoken rule and never a requirement. Besides, it was still two years early to be discussing which teams their children would be placed in, and that was only if his lazy son actually managed to graduate. It was his biggest recent worry.

"Why bring this up, all of a sudden?" He asks as he extinguishes his pipe with a flick of a wrist, slowly pulling himself into a sitting position so he and Inoichi could stare eye to eye. Something was definitely unusual with his friend he knew all the way back from childhood.

Inoichi himself looked as if he were debating to himself if he should be break the news to him now rather than later during their foray in the barbeque place he earlier described, as he had his lips pressed in a hard, thin line. But after a while, Inoichi looked up and stared right back at him.

"We might have to break it up." Inoichi said finally.

_Oh man._ Nara Shikaku thought, apprehensive of the situation already. _This is going to be troublesome._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Seven**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter seven.

I figured that if Sakura's dad was so awesome he was able to become Hokage in an alternate universe (portrayed in a recent Naruto movie), he deserved at least a _jounin_ title in this story. As a side note, I had expected to see multiple Naruto stories based on that alternate universe. Maybe I just haven't come across them or something.

And ain't adults dirty? Oh wait, I am one too. Shit.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Seven "Bora", First Edition: February 22__nd__, 2013, Last Edit: February 23rd, 2013  
_


	8. VIII - Cold Fish

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concep__t and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Eight**__** -**_

"_**Lanh Ca**__**"**_

_Vietnamese __– __"Cold Fish"_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke sat at the seat closest to the exit of the Academy classroom, wearing purple elbow warmers and a longer, more stuffed-out version of his standard black shirt and white pants, watching a certain girl from the corner of his eye. He had noticed her staring out of the window of the classroom from her opposite end, at the latest snowfall that had graced Konoha outside the Academy, looking distracted and aloof. Fire Country was usually known for their normally temperate weather, but this year it was especially cold. Although rumors – of which, that after this batch of snow had let up, spring would finally rear its head around the corner – did reach his ears, the normally cool and collected ten-year-old was starting to get sick of it. Because of the weather, outdoor classes were mostly canceled and the Academy teachers had instead settled into teaching their students theory and deskwork; a subject, which he had come to grudgingly admit was something necessary, still bugged the corner of his mind into thinking that it was the most useless subject of them all in his quest for becoming stronger.

The certain girl in question was a fair-skinned one with average height among their age group. She had blonde hair cut short at shoulder-length, with a slight protruding bang that mildly covered the right of her face. She also had fair green eyes that bordered on almost blue and sported a small green clip in her left side of her hair. A lesser-informed individual would've taken her appearance and current attitude as signs of weakness, but despite her thin physique that still had plenty of filling out left to do before she became an adult, Sasuke had noticed her energy and restlessness. Perhaps others would've confused themselves in thinking that her restlessness was something like boredom or lack of interest in class, but…

_Only if they didn't see her eyes._ Sasuke thought.

Ino's eyes were no longer 'young', he noticed. Her mouth below her was thinner too, and together they made her look far wiser, tougher… ruthless, even. Above all, they were signs of determination, signs that told Sasuke that Ino sought after strength now more than ever. They were the eyes and mouths of an reborn Yamanaka Ino, heiress of the Yamanaka Clan and to-be member of the much-anticipated next generation of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. When Sasuke's eyes drifted apart towards the usually sleeping lazy boy and the other who Sasuke had never seen his hands empty with some sort of food or beverage, he noticed Nara Shikamaru grumbling to himself even more and Akimichi Chouji looking dismayed and beaten, for nothing occupied his hands today.

Something, had happened.

Sasuke's point-of-view shifted rapidly in-between them for several more seconds before turning his attention back to the teacher Umino Iruka who was currently in the middle of writing several equations on the blackboard. Frustrated, he focused his thoughts inwards. He had no clue what happened to Ino, or Shikamaru or Chouji for that matter, but it was obvious _something_ had come to pass, and it irritated him. He told himself it was mostly because he paid actual attention to Yamanaka Ino – she was one of two girls in his Academy classes who didn't bother him constantly, and the only one who was obviously very interested in advancing herself as a kunoichi and had put actual effort into it. Sasuke still held a decent lead over Ino in fieldwork, but they were head-to-head in academics and competed against each other feverishly. That alone was enough for him to gather respect. He could _almost_ call her his rival, and it was only his pride – pride as an Uchiha or just because it would be too bothersome if the other girls heard him, he didn't know – that prevented him for calling her one outright.

And now, something had happened to Ino that had ignited her motivation to become stronger, and Shikamaru and Chouji did not remain uninvolved in the whole thing. His mind briefly wandered in picking up a rumor he heard the other day about this certain Haruno Sakura, who, after being stuck two years in a coma, had finally woken up about two weeks ago, and he wondered if she anything to do with it. Sasuke vaguely recalled this Haruno Sakura through his memories. He did remember that a pink-haired girl had been a part of their class before, and she and Ino had been good friends. Ino's weekly hospital visits were also famous, as he was refused by Ino once when he thought to invite her in training together after class a few times. Maybe she did have to do with it, maybe she didn't. Nevertheless, this meant Sasuke was going to need to put extra effort into his training once class was done today, for he did not want to see Ino catch up to him that easily. But curiosity, once kindled, was difficult to extinguish. Just what exactly happened to Ino that made her so…?

"Sasuke, would you like to come up here please so you can solve this equation for us?" His teacher called up to him.

His train of thought broken, he nodded once and got up from his chair and walked himself up the classroom. As Umino Iruka passed him his piece of chalk so he could write, Uchiha Sasuke told himself he will find out what happened to Yamanaka Ino once class was over as he prepared the answer on the chalkboard.

And if it meant talking to that loud blonde idiot about it, so be it.

* * *

"Hey, dead last."

Uzumaki Naruto did not like Uchiha Sasuke. He couldn't exactly point a finger as to why he felt this way, but he had a nagging suspicion to the fact that it was because Sasuke and Ino seemed a little too close for Naruto's liking. Not like they were going out or anything, as Naruto remembers a time when Ino punched him in the gut when he asked (she even told him he was an absolute blockhead, how mean!), but every time he saw Sasuke beating Ino when they were competing during class, the feeling emerged.

"What do you want?" Naruto grumbled, stopping to turn just as he was about to leave class after the bell had rung. "And I'm not dead last!"

"Close enough." Sasuke shrugged as he replied, shooting down Naruto's defense of 'technically' not being the dead last in class. "You're down there in scores with _ninjutsu_ and _genjutsu_ anyway."

Naruto let loose a feral growl. Despite his many attempts to correct his weakness, even with the help from outward sources like Inoichi and Tenten it was proving to be difficult for Naruto to mold his chakra so he could correctly perform techniques that were considered even basic. It was only with Ino and Tenten's encouragements and Kiba's teasing he didn't let up in his efforts.

He had in fact seriously considered once in shifting into a more weapons-heavy style (after all, aren't ninjas that wielded big-ass bladed weapons cool looking?), especially after a certain after-school training session where, in his attempt at a _henge_ transformation technique, Naruto blew up Kiba's Inuzuka clan household back yard. Although Naruto had no idea how a mere transformation technique could scatter so much dirt around, it was almost enough to make him seriously consider giving up on using jutsus ever. And that led to his visit of the weapon shop which Tenten's family ran, which then led to their first meeting. It was through this newly won friend that Naruto was told about a certain bowl-cut classmate of hers that dreamed of becoming a great ninja through _taijutsu_ alone. Thus even if jutsus failed him, he still had a way to become a ninja, a way to become Hokage, and no matter what, he was going to achieve it.

And he _especially_ wasn't going to let this bastard stand in his way towards that goal.

"You wanted something from me, didn't you?" Naruto replied, making certain his loathing was noticed by the other boy. "Not the best way to go about it, is it?"

"Whatever." Sasuke shrugged again, ignoring it. He looked away to his right. "I wanted to ask you about Ino."

Naruto did not like where this conversation was going. He felt a small pang deep in his heart. He quickly looked around the classroom and noticed they were the only ones left. _At least she isn't around to hear it._ Naruto thought.

"What about Ino-chan?" He asked.

"I wanted to ask what happened."

It was a vague question, but Naruto somehow understood just what exactly the Uchiha was asking for. Deciding he could at least tell the bastard that much, Naruto speaks again. "Well, you know how Ino-chan's always been trying to be stronger, right?"

Sasuke nods, urging him to continue.

"She was mainly trying to become stronger for Sakura-chan's sake." Naruto said. "Because… er, do you know about Sakura-chan?"

"Yes."

"Uh, okay. Well anyway, she woke up now, but apparently there's something wrong with her, and Ino-chan and her family feels responsible for it."

It wasn't very often where Naruto got to see the stoic-faced Uchiha's eyes widen in surprise, but the expression faded away as quickly as it came. "Responsible?" Sasuke asked Naruto after he'd recovered.

Naruto shrugged back. "I don't know the details. Ino-chan never really told me. But yeah, anyways, so in order to repay the debt, Ino-chan said she has to protect Sakura-chan now, and in order to that she said she's going to start training even more!" Naruto's voice grew larger with each sentence, excitement running in his bones now. "She's going to receive direct training from Inoichi-ojisan now! You got that, Sasuke-bastard?" He pointed a finger at Sasuke, his eyes beaming in fierce pride. "It means Ino-chan's gonna kick your ass once she starts learning awesome techniques from her dad! Believe it!"

Once he was finished, Naruto glowed at Sasuke, thinking he had no doubts that Sasuke was fully intimidated by now. But, as he soon found out, Sasuke's reaction wasn't quite something Naruto expected.

"Hn."

"Huh? Wait, that's it?" Naruto asked him, his excited mood quickly deflating. "Just a 'Hn'? I said she's going to kick your a-"

Before Naruto could say another word though, Sasuke turned around and calmly walked out of the classroom door.

Left all alone in the now-silent classroom, Naruto scratched his head in disgust. "You… gah! This is why you're such a bastard, Sasuke!"

Naruto's voice echoed harmlessly back at him.

* * *

Sakura did not know if she hated or liked these rehabilitation exercises. At first, she couldn't even hold her hands properly against the silver bars in the mirror-filled rehab room inside the Hospital, and every movement she made with her body responded back with intense pain rummaging from top to bottom. The worst part was where she was pretty much forced to keep her eyes open lest she lose her balance, and every moment she had her eyes open meant that she had to stare at the changed world filled with those black lines. And the longer she stared at it, the more nauseous she would get. She had to let the doctors know she was unable to continue after an hour at most, and much to her relief they didn't press her on with their insistence.

On the other hand, she did have to admit that these exercises were doing what the doctor had promised her with. Every day came with recorded progresses, and by the time she was done with her thirteenth session she could feel herself walking again, although she still needed the bars to support herself. By this twenty-eighth session she was able to walk across the room without using the bars at all, although it did leave her completely exhausted. But it did bring a much-needed smile back to her mouth.

It was when the doctors had settled her in a wheelchair when a certain white-robed man walked into the rehab room. All it took her was one look to realize who this visitor of hers was. She wouldn't be a villager of Konoha if she didn't know what that symbol on his cone-shaped hat meant.

"Pleased to meet you, I suppose?" The old man says as he walks calmly towards her and crouches down slightly so they were at the same level. "I believe this is the first time we've met." He extends his hand in greeting, smiling. "Good afternoon, Sakura. I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage of this village."

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Eight**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter eight.

I should really try to get out of the habit of delaying until the last minute before I write. Another last-minute chapter. Quality? What's that?

All kidding aside, edits to come later. Forgive me. Also tried something different with the summary starting from this chapter in a vain attempt to attract more readers. But I can't be blamed for that, can I? Haha.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Eight "Lanh Ca", First Edition: February 23__rd__, 2013, Last Edit: March 1st, 2013  
_


	9. IX - Efface

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concep__t and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Nine**__** -**_

"_**Ctepetb**__**"**_

_Russian __– __"Efface"_

* * *

Sakura stared at the Hokage's hand.

"I realize my visit has come to you as something of a surprise." The Third Hokage said, which Sakura thought was a gross understatement. "But my presence here is, obviously, for a good reason. The matter to which I must discuss with you is something both you and I have to think about greatly."

The words of the soft-spoken old man had hardly registered. Still in shock, she continues to stare at his still-extended hand.

For, a brief, fleeting moment, Sakura considers extending hers in order to return the handshake he so generously offered. With the rehabilitation sessions she could do at least that much now without having to exert herself too badly, but seeing those black lines even on the man who was supposed to be the strongest in the village frightened her tons. The slowly but constantly moving black lines were like 'cracks', she discovered, much like the time when she traced her fingernail over the lines in the bedpost when she first woke up and a cut it apart cleanly with no visible effort. Had she accepted his offer, she was afraid of shattering the elder ninja's hand into a thousand little pieces, although her fears were greatly overestimated for she needed to actually trace through the lines completely in order to cut something apart. But fear was a great motivator in clouding one's judgement. Abhorrence gripped Sakura's small body, and she started to shake a little, tiny fists clenched in her lap.

But the Third Hokage wouldn't have been in a position of such prominence if he couldn't spot at least this much. Sakura saw him crouching down a little further from his one-knee position on the floor, moving himself more closely towards her. "You don't have to be afraid, Sakura." He told her. "You won't hurt me." Then, as if to prove the point, he placed both of his hands on top of her fists.

It took her almost everything she had to not flinch away.

"See?" She looked up, finally seeing his bright smile. "Nothing to worry about."

It was a kind lie, she knew. Sakura wanted to believe them words true, but it was still a lie. As long as her vision continued to show her the cracks of death, where life and existence sat at its weakest point, she could put an end it to all. Had she traced the edges of his wrist, there was no doubt she would be able to slice it off his arm, just like she did before with the bedpost.

"Go on, Sakura." The Third Hokage further insisted. "Just try it. Take my hand. Don't be afraid."

With great hesitation, she finally took his hand.

The difference was felt almost immediately. The Third Hokage's hands were old and wrinkled, never betraying his age, and they were rough, each side sporting tiny scars that gave witness to countless battles and strong muscles that told her he had kept himself fit and strong even to this day. But above all… above all, they were warm. Until now, the only things her hands had come in contact with were the small wooden chopsticks she used to eat out of her food tray, the rough edges of her white hospital gown, and the metal bars and tiled floors of the rehab room during her exercises. For the first time in two years, Sakura realized, she was feeling the warmth of another human being.

Suddenly everything was so blurry in front of her. Tears, she realized. They were tears.

She feels the Third Hokage letting go of her hand as he got up from the floor. "Doctor, can we take her back?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Nodding quickly at the doctor in charge, the Third Hokage turns his attention back to her, his smile never wavering. "Let's continue this in your room, shall we?"

She could only nod.

* * *

After the doctors and nurses helped Sakura back into her bed, they quickly excused themselves without prompt so she and the Third Hokage were the only ones remaining in her room. Except, she noticed, she saw the silhouettes of the guards posted directly outside her room through the foggy window built into the door. In fact, she thought she saw more silhouettes than usual, and quickly concluded it had much to do with the fact with her visitor here today. Although that _did_ beg the question as to why the strongest ninja in the village even _needed_ guards in the first place…

"Sakura," He began, forcing her to reallocate her attention back to the village leader instead of taking the easy way out in letting her mind wander. "I want to talk to you about your eyes."

So it was reality coming back to her, then. Nodding, she loosely gripped the sheets on her bed. "…Yes."

"What you have now is something known as the _chokushi no magan_… the 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'." A slight pause. "Do you know of it?"

She slowly shakes her head sideways.

"They were eyes that were once possessed by a certain individual in a famous clan that was once known as the Ryougi." The Third Hokage explained to her, stepping beside her bed and towards the window to her left. "Your distant ancestors. They go back longer than your grandfather's grandfather's _and _grandfather's time."

"The Ryougi…?"

"Inoichi has told you about them before, did he not?"

"He did, Hokage-sama. When he told me why…" Sakura stopped, struggling as she tried to piece together her next words. "…why I had Ouka." She finally said.

"I was insensitive, forgive me Sakura."

"No, its okay… please continue, Hokage-sama."

The Third Hokage cleared his throat. "To our knowledge, only this Ryougi member has come to awakening the _chokushi, _so that will make you the second person in recorded history to have this ability. However, even though it is a very rare ability, it was very well documented, so we also know of its problems. Sakura." He turns around. "When you see the black lines, does it make you sick?"

"…Yes, it does."

"Do you understand what those lines are?"

"Yes. They're just like… like the death I saw when I was sleeping."

"Technically, what you 'saw' during your coma was what we call the Akasha, the _kongen_, otherwise known as the 'root'. We don't know much about it, except that it is a place where all souls originate from and return to after death. During your stay there, your eyes, or to be more specific, your brain, connected with the 'root', and because of that it allows you perceive what you see."

"Um…"

"Sorry." The Third Hokage said, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Old habits die hard. I was going into professor mode again. Think of it as… you were in a special place, and because you were there too long, you can now see things that normally shouldn't be seen. Do you understand at least that much?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Now, you told me you feel sick when you look at the lines. It's because it's not just that you're looking at something that couldn't be seen normally, but because it's something that a mere human being _shouldn't_ be seeing." He allowed himself a small break before continuing. "It's commonly known that even the simplest of eye _doujutsus _can put a strain on someone, and the more advanced and powerful they are, the bigger the strain. Normally, _doujutsu_ can be turned off by stopping the flow of chakra to the eyes so it won't put a constant strain on the user, but because the 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception' connects the user to the 'root' through your brain, it cannot be turned off. Hm, was that too complicated?"

Sakura had some trouble in following the Third Hokage's explanation, but picked up on it mostly. "I think I understand, Hokage-sama. It means that I feel sick because it's putting lots of strain on me because I'm seeing things I'm not supposed to, right?"

"Very good." The Third Hokage nods to her in satisfaction. "You're a very bright child, Sakura. You were the top in your class during the Academy in terms of test scores, no?"

Sakura smiled back at him, the first time since the conversation. "I was."

"Would you like to go back to the Academy, Sakura?"

The question catches her totally by surprise, and she somehow found the strength to grip an entire length of her bedsheets. She lets go of the sheets quickly and straightens herself up, hugging her arms close around her. Before the 'accident', Sakura had once attended the Academy along with Ino, and despite hardships at the beginning they had been fun times. She had started out at the Academy mostly because of her father, and although she didn't quite want to be like him, especially with the way her mother tossed him around like a slave-driver, she had looked up to him for his wisdom. She wanted to be someone that was full of knowledge, someone who knew the answers to everything, so perhaps, one day, she could find the answers on how to make friends. And for her efforts, she was rewarded with Ino. Despite the fact that she had chased her out of the room when she saw her best friend laced with the lines of death, not a day passed without regretting what she did that day. She wanted to be with Ino again if she was given the chance. She did not want to let go of that connection.

"I do." She finally answered.

"I see." If she wasn't sorely mistaken, Sakura thought she could see sadness flash by in his eyes. "You're going to have a hard road ahead of you, you realize?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Then we have much work to do. First, we need you to get back into shape. Then you're going to have to learn how to use your eyes. Are you prepared for that?"

She flinched at this, but she nodded anyway.

"Don't worry, Sakura." The Hokage quickly reassured her. "I'm not going to force you to use it. Besides, overextending the mystic eye's use will cause severe long-term damage, and I don't want to see that happening to you."

"But Hokage-sama…"

He raised a palm to stop her from going any further. "I know what you're about to say. Even closing your eyes doesn't make that sick feeling go away, does it? Just makes it a little easier?"

She nods.

"This is because, like I said earlier, you're connected with the Akasha through your brain. Closing your eyes doesn't help because you're still 'looking' at darkness, so if we want to solve the problem we need to go directly for the cause. I will ask help from a source I know to help keep your eyes sealed so you don't have to be put in constant strain."

"You can actually do that?" Sakura blurted out.

"One step at a time." The Third Hokage laughed a little uncomfortably at her sudden burst in enthusiasm. "But for now," He extends his hand again. "Welcome back, Sakura."

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Nine**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter nine.

A constant week of updates. I didn't think it'd be possible, but I did it!

Unfortunately, as I recently got accepted into beta-testing a certain game, I'm going to go on a three day break to enjoy myself in playing… er, giving constructive feedback on it. Sorry readers, but I've been waiting for this for a looong time. I'll update again sometime on the 28th (translation: midnight of), so until then I ask my readers to wait patiently.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Nine "Ctepetb", First Edition: February 24__th__, 2013, Last Edit: February 25th, 2013  
_


	10. X - Appraise

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concep__t and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Ten**__** -**_

"_**Avaliar**__**"**_

_Greek __– __"Appraise"_

* * *

Surprises were coming to her in daily doses.

This time, it was the quiet clicking sound her ears picked up when she was just about to raise her hand to courteously knock on the slightly-ajar door. One of her eyebrows rose as she listened to the spruce clacks as it came, stopped, and then stared again. A little puzzled as she wondered just what exactly her father was going to teach her now, she shrugged it off and continued her interrupted knock on the doorframe.

"Come in."

The invite sent, Ino slided the door open and stepped into her father's Hokage Tower office and stopped just inside the threshold. In keeping with his high-profile position as the head of the Information and Espionage division in Konoha, Yamanaka Inoichi held a comfortable, sun-lit office inside with baring windows that showed off the entire view of the village down below, although Ino would've realized it was more modest compared to the view from the Hokage's office had she'd ever stepped foot in it. Still, as much as Ino loved her father so dearly, she still felt that the office did not fit with Yamanaka Inoichi's character, especially given his position in the village. She had always pictured her Daddy working in some dark chamber down in the basement of the Tower, since that was the image most associated with Information and Espionage due to the fact that they worked so closely with Torture and Interrogation. At least, that's the image she came up with when she learned from the Academy the roles each division held anyway.

Her father had by now risen from his position behind the desk and stood there, head cocked with a sly smile on the tip of his lips, no doubt from having already figured out what she was thinking. "Not quite you expected, Ino?" He said, confirming what she already knew. "But, yes." He waved a hand in front of his disk. "This is where I spend most of my time working."

Stacks of paper, covered with her father's strong handwriting piled high on top of her father's desk, but what caught her attention the most was the two rectangular-framed devises that sat at its center. It was about two _shakus_ long and five _suns_ tall. It was constructed with a bamboo frame and had twenty-one vertical rods that connected the upper and lower sides of it, and on each rod there were six flattened beads, five below and one above a dividing strip near the outer frame's upside, arranged so they could slide up and down accordingly.

It was an abacus.

But wait. One was obviously for her father's personal use, as she could see some wear and tear out of it that could only come from years of using the device, but the other one looked brand new. I mean, even trying to imagine her father's ridiculous look in him using the counting frame as if he was some mere merchant – especially when he was supposed to be the hard-ass diehard man in charge of the division that made ninjas _ninjas_ with their use of intrigue and handling of information – was hard enough. He couldn't possibly be considering what she was thinking, right?

Ino shook her head to get rid of the comical image of her father outfitted with a _yaoya _grocery-store vendor's black apron with abacus in hand. How did _that_ make it into her mind? "I thought we were supposed to be going to the training grounds after you were done with work today?" She said. "You said you were going to teach me a new technique."

"I did say I was going to teach you a new technique, yes." Inoichi replied as he walked around the furniture and into the corner of the room where stool chairs were stacked neatly on top of one another. He pulled one from the top of the pile and slid the four-legged appendage into the front of his desk. "But I didn't say I was going to teach you anything combat-related. Today, I'm going to train you several techniques in using an abacus."

Ino stared at her father as if he'd just gone psychotic. Then again, the Yamanakas were a clan that regularly dealt with the human mind. Occasionally some of their clansmen did fall from the far end of the cliff. It wasn't far-fetched to think it had finally happened with her father.

"No, I haven't gone insane Ino." Inoichi quickly defended himself when he noticed the strange look his daughter was giving him. "Teaching you to use the abacus is a form of mental training I developed."

It quickly caught Ino's interest. "Mental training?"

"One thing I've always envied about Shikaku – Shikamaru's father," Inoichi began. "Is his intellect. He's a genius tactician and strategist. He can analyze great deals of information in a blink of an eye, anticipate actions and use his predictions to formulate or rearrange highly effective plans, all in the face of turmoil _and_ remain calm throughout the entire process. Chouza nor I have ever been able to beat Shikaku in _shogi _or _go_, and the Nara clan's encyclopedia of medical knowledge has been the most up-to-date in centuries."

He looked at Ino. "Remember how I told you before that I was considering ending the tradition of the Ino-Shika-Cho by stopping you from becoming teammates with Shikamarau and Chouji when you graduated? So you can be teammates with Sakura in order to protect her now that she's half-blind?"

She nodded. It was the most recent piece of hard information she had to deal with in the aftermath of her best friend's awakening. It certainly helped to explain Sakura's behavior when Ino got to see her for the first time that other day – Sakura's didn't want to see Ino because Sakura apparently couldn't see Ino as she'd remembered and saw her with 'something' that her father did not explain in detail, but told her it was something that prevented Sakura from seeing things normally. If Ouka's death wasn't bad enough… now this. Ino wanted to cry out at lady luck with the amount of misfortune that seemed to keep on piling on top of her best friend.

Still though, it did relieve Ino when she was told that Sakura was eventually going to return to the Academy once her rehabilitation was complete. It meant that she was going to be classmates with her once again, and once they graduated Inoichi had told her that they were going to be teammates, and that made everything so much better. Ino was prepared to go any lengths to protect Sakura now that Sakura had a glaring handicap, especially if she was going to be a ninja alongside her. After all, teammates looked out for each other, didn't they? And with her father too going the extra length to teach her with his now-daily after school lessons, everything seemed so great. Well, there was that glaring demerit where, with all the extra training her father was putting her through she no longer didn't have any free time to go visit Sakura in the Hospital anymore, but that was just a minor inconvenience. She would be seeing Sakura in the Academy again in no time.

In her excitement, Ino didn't question exactly why the decision for Sakura to return to school was made so quickly despite the fact that a handicap such as blindness was normally grounds for a ninja to permanently retire from duty, much less for a previous-comatose child who had a two year 'blank' to advance into the ranks of one was unheard of. Ino was still too young to understand the ideas of politics swirling behind the decision of Sakura's return to the Academy. She didn't even know that the decision for Sakura returning to the Academy wasn't even really in Sakura's hands to begin with.

"Well," Inoichi continued. "When I talked the idea over with Chouza and Shikaku, it was Shikaku that came up with the idea that we didn't have to break the tradition, but just 'evolve' it slightly. So, instead of the Ino-Shika-Cho represented through one team, he suggested that each member of the Ino-Shika-Cho split into three _different_ ones, with each member of the Ino-Shika-Cho taking a leadership role in each team so they can coordinate each team's inter-team teamwork under the Ino-Shika-Cho modelwork. So instead of just three people working together, it would instead be three teams working together. I talked the idea over with Hokage-sama, and he thought it'd be something interesting and worth trying for, so if things go according to plan we'll be seeing the first nine-member cell team in Konoha in just under two years."

"Of course, this means that Ino," Inoichi pointed a finger at her. "It means that you need to take the leadership role for one of the three teams. So does Shikamaru and Chouji, so I'm sure they're being taught by their dads accordingly. In my case, however, in order to shape you up for the leadership role I've decided to teach you the abacus."

"What does the abacus have to do with anything about being a leader?" She asked.

"I told you earlier how I adored Shikaku's intellect, right? Well, part of the reason why he's able to do what he does is because he's so fast in his way of thinking, and naturally it's because of those qualities he ended up as the leader of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of our generation. When you become a leader of a three-man cell team, it's important that you become adept in your mental way of thinking so you can quickly come up with the right answers when you're faced with a task. Teaching you the abacus is that first step. When people become proficient in use of the abacus, almost automatically they become adept at speedy mental calculations. As a part of abacus instruction, intermediate-level students are asked to do calculation mentally by visualizing the abacus and working out the problem without trying to figure out the answer beforehand. I want your thought processes to be at least that level of quality. Think of it as a tool to help you speed your thought processes up."

"Besides," He laughed. "With this, you can finally help your mother in managing the funds for the flower shop! She was always asking for more help in that department…"

Ino groaned. She couldn't help but shake the feeling that _that_ was her father's true motive in teaching her the abacus.

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Ten**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

As promised, chapter ten.

_Shaku_ is an old Japanese way of measurement that's approximately a foot long, and ten _sun_ make a _shaku._ So two _shakus_ and five _suns _in English will translate to two feet and six inches.

Today's Japanese lesson, brought to you by yours truly.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Ten "Avaliar", First Edition: February 28__th__, 2013, Last Edit: March 1st, 2013  
_


	11. XI - Lost and Found

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_By Nes Mikel_

_Acknowledgment;_

_I her__e__by acknowledge that the work of fiction presented here is for my own personal amusement and entertainment purposes alone. I hereby also acknowledge tha__t while__ this story is __mostly based on Kishimoto Masashi's "Naruto", certain crossover elements from Type-Moon's "Garden of Sinners/Kara no Kyoukai" also exist, although knowledge of it is not a requirement. Thus, __I acknowledge that the original story concep__t and ideas, while heavily altered for the sake of the crossover, are copyright of all its associates._

_For non up-to-date readers, this fiction __will __contain spoilers up to the latest Naruto manga chapters._

_With that said, enjoy._

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

* * *

_**- **__**Chapter Eleven**__** -**_

"_**Coll**__**"**_

_Welsh __– __"Lost and Found"_

* * *

Squinting one last time at the document in front of him before stamping the seal of approval, Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up the scroll of paper on his desktop and deposited it on top of the stacks neatly piled on the side. With that, today's work was over.

He sighed and sat back, pushing his reading glasses up on his forehead. He massaged the bridge of his nose wearily. Despite the best lenses the glass-smiths of Konoha could grind, his nearsightedness was growing steadily worse with his age, and the lighting environment contributed nothing to improve the situation. The lamps that hung from his office walls burned with the finest _kujira_ whale oils imported from Water Country in an effort to provide the best quality of lights, but despite its effectiveness it was sin to compare it with the levels of illumination that natural sunlight provided. Then again, if he'd just gone home at a reasonable hour like he was supposed to, he could just work in the daylight like he'd wished and not have to worry about the lamps at all.

Blinking a few more times to rid of the tears of sluggishness in his eyes, the Third Hokage sighed again at the thought. Unfortunately, going home early was a luxury he simply could just not afford, and the inconvenience was just one of many that came with the job description of the title he held. He knew that every single one of his subordinates – okay, maybe not _every_ single one – would insist he go home early, but even if the workload didn't exist there simply wasn't much waiting for him at home since his wife's death ten years ago. Biwako had simply not been his wife, but his strong companion, fellow scholar, assistant schemer and his most precious counterpart for over thirty years. If he was going to be honest, her death was one of the main reasons he didn't go home when the rest of the administrative sections of the Hokage Tower shut down for the night.

"Hiruzen."

Called on by the voice, the Third Hokage looked up and saw his teammate back from old times standing in the doorway. An uneasy smile returned to the lips of the Third Hokage as he, from his position at the table, waved an amicable hand to usher the man inside but it quickly faded when he saw Mitokado Homura close the door behind him. The Third Hokage leaned his chair slightly forward, for Homura closing the door behind him was a sign from his long-term friend that he wanted to talk privately about an important matter.

Gathering both of his hands into a loose fist in front, the Third Hokage decided to start it off as he let his hands rest on top of the table. "What is it this time, Homura?"

The elder councilman said nothing for a moment as he looked around the office, perhaps for a chair to sit in, but after a while he seemed to give up the effort and leaned on a nearby wall. "Yamanaka and Haruno." He said, with arms crossed.

The Third Hokage sighed. He had a feeling he was going to repeat the motion a lot tonight. "We already went over this."

"But no punishment?" The grey-bearded man, also an expert summoner with his control of giant scrolls, pressed on strongly. "The Yamanakas and the Harunos went behind our backs to strengthen their clan. I can understand the Harunos for not being upfront about the matter because their desire to reawaken the Ryougi traits within their blood was a long-forgotten one, but not punishing the Yamanakas for tempting the Harunos into it for the purpose of their own goals? One wrong move and it could've set off a chain reaction. You know as much as I do, Hiruzen, the importance of maintaining the power-balance within the village."

"It does not mean we must pressure the clans into holding back their potential for power." The Third Hokage told him. "We do not want a repeat of what happened with the Uchiha."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that." The councilman shrugged it off. "I'm not questioning the loyalty nor competence of the Yamanakas. What I'm concerned about is that it's setting a bad precedent. Just because this time the end justified the means doesn't automatically translate itself into a get-out-of-jail free card. All the Yamanakas had to do was to tell us from the start that they were co-operating with the Haruno in an effort to revive the Ryougi traits and perhaps integrate those traits within themselves – and everything would've been fine. But the problem here is that they _didn't, _and we're only told of it now because they can't hide it no longer now that the Haruno girl had awoken her 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'."

Homura leaned forward. "What are they hiding, Hiruzen."

"I can't tell you."

The councilman was glaring daggers at him now. The Third Hokage knew Homura had nothing but the best interests of the village at his heart, but this was a piece of information he wasn't going to share just yet. Not until he was absolutely sure of it, anyway.

"May I ask why?"

"That would be the equivalent of telling you the reason, so I can't tell you either."

Homura rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "That's not the answer I was looking for, but fine. At least now I know they're hiding something. But pray tell, this doesn't have to do anything with the go-ahead you gave to the Ino-Shika-Cho about their idea for a nine-man squad in two years, is it?"

"No. And Homura, it's not really a nine-man squad." The Third Hokage corrected him. "It still will be three different three-man cells teams, taught by three different _jounin_ teachers, assigned different missions. All they're promoting is frequent joint training sessions and increased communication between each other, so when the time comes for them to co-operate under missions that require more than a single team, they can co-ordinate and thus operate flawlessly. Although we pride ourselves in teamwork, Shikaku did make a good point out how different teams aren't so co-operative with each other because they could be so territorial. So I gave them the go ahead to experiment."

"Strength in numbers, hm?"

"That's the idea."

"They'd be stacked against competition in the _chuunin_ exams."

"I wouldn't deny that I'm looking forward to the results."

Homura stared at him hard. "Awfully considerate of them, isn't it."

The Third Hokage didn't say anything.

"So there _is_ an ulterior motive, and it's not just the Yamanakas. You have one too, don't you? Let me guess, the Haruno girl?"

"Partially."

"Partially?"

"The Hyuuga is the other reason."

The Third Hokage saw the other man's expression turn into something that closely resembled shock, and eyes flickered with a touch that might've been resentment. For this the Third Hokage thought of saying something in return, but quickly changed his mind. After all, if Mitokado Homura thought of Sarutobi Hiruzen as a scheming old man, he had a point.

And that was what a Hokage was supposed to do.

* * *

Elsewhere that night, in a land far to the north, a silent needle shot through the darkness and eliminated another life.

The sentry who'd seen his attacker at the last moment not only managed to miss with his weapon, but in his panic he had hit another sentry square in the chest. Unfortunately for him, had he even been miraculously accurate in firing his arrow, it wouldn't have done a thing to change his impending doom for two others were quickly moving to neutralizing him.

Desperate now, he tried to alert the other guards stationed around the castle. He picked up the hammer attached to his belt so he could ring the alarm bells – something he should've done a moment he'd seen the intruders, he realized too late – but before he could slam the tool down on the metal instrument the attackers were on him. His standard-issue spear blocked the slash of the first attacker's sword, and a quick but crude thrust with the butt of his weapon knocked his attacker back on its feet. He wasn't as lucky with the second attacker, though, as he tried to twist to the side but couldn't completely avoid the kunai that had been thrown at him. The cold metal buried itself in between his ribs, and before he could cry out in pain the third attacker came in from behind and drove steel into his throat. He was dead even before he hit the ground.

The sentry had been one of the more lucky ones; none of the others even saw their attackers. Three of them were blinded by the bright light of the flash bang when their assailants flowed over them, and the other five were already too busying dying from their wounds from the black needles that pieced though their jugular veins. Their efforts hadn't been completely useless, though, as shouts of alarm came from the residential areas of the castle and someone began barking harsh-voiced orders as more guards came pouring out of their assigned rooms. Their efforts had been quite commendable, evidence of the discipline they've been put through, yet compared to their assailants their efforts were still too slow. They were still scrambling for their mental balance, fighting past the stunned shock of complete surprise, when twice their own number of assailants swarmed had swarmed right inside.

Soon the castle quieted down, and absolute silence dominated thereafter. A figure clad in black, who watched the entire proceedings from a safe distance atop from his position in the branches of the evergreen tree, dispelled his clones with a quiet motion of his hand, leaving no trace of the attackers that had massacred the castle's inhabitants. Its task done, the figure bit its forefinger and, after going through a few quick seals, slammed the palm down on the branch and summoned a small scroll. He opened the scroll and started to read, just as he was instructed to after his mission was complete.

"Sai," The letter read. "We have new orders for you. Return to Konoha for further instructions."

* * *

"_**All Kill Landing Edge**__**"**_

_**- **__**Chapter Eleven**__** -**_

_**-END-**_

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**_

Chapter eleven.

Blarg. Couldn't make the midnight deadline. I could've uploaded the chapter a bit earlier, but it only contained the first half of this one and would've been way too short. And as if this one isn't short enough already.

You know, I never really planned for the buildup of the story to last this long (heck, we're still two years away from the start of the canon!), but ideas keep on popping into my head and I just pretty much have to write them down. So I ask my readers to be a little more patient as the story unfolds. I know we're all eager to get into the juicy bits. I know I am.

Also, as a certain reviewer pointed out, by the nature of this story's quick updates this story contains quite a bit of errors in terms of typos and small grammatical mistakes. I do go over each chapter to stomp out as much as I can, but do feel free to point out anything you notice so I can go back and correct them.

Thanks for reading!

- Nes Mikel

_All Kill Landing Edge, Chapter Eleven "Coll", First Edition: March 2nd__, 2013_


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